Shovels for digging in the ground as well as manually lifting and moving particulate material have been used for what can be reasonably referred to as “ages.” Perhaps the best known shovel is the conventional spade shaped shovel having a curved blade which is widely used for digging in and moving earth, or the recently ubiquitous coal shovel used for shoveling coal from a coal bin into a heating furnace or firebox of coal stoked steam engines. Coal shovels are designed for scraping along a flat surface, and, unlike shovels for digging in the ground, usually have flat bottoms, plus low sides to self limit the load picked up. It is not surprising then that the conventional coal shovel was in earlier times frequently used to shovel pavements and road surfaces which are also usually desirably flat.
Coal stokers such as “firemen” on trains and “stokers” on ships who “stoked” coal on a regular basis tended to develop strong muscles in their backs and shoulders which could stand up to persistent shoveling. Snow shoveling, however, is performed by most only on an intermittent or as required basis, particularly in the temperate climates. Local government regulations generally require outdoor surfaces such as footpaths, pavements, driveways and the like to be cleared by the owners, many of whom seldom otherwise lift heavy loads and have weak muscles and thus are prone to musculoskeletal strains, especially to the lower back, shoulders, arms, and knees, as well as other physiological maladies from shoveling. Such maladies not infrequently can lead to long term injuries such as slipped discs in the spinal column and progressing into other physical symptoms which can at times be seriously debilitating and cause physical incapacitation due to accompanying pain and other medical problems. In addition, it is well known that strenuous shoveling can cause a sudden increase in blood pressure and heart rate, while the cold constricts the blood vessels and decreases oxygen to the heart, which together can trigger a heart attack, particularly in those with existing risk factors or a sedentary lifestyle.
Not surprisingly, therefore, inventions have been described in patent documents and the literature in general to make snow shoveling easier and to prevent the suffering and expense that such injuries often result in. All kinds of innovations with respect to handle structures, lifting blades and other arrangements for snow shovels have been described and used with varying success. For example, most snow shovels are now made using lighter materials, such as plastic and aluminum, and in general are more ergonomically designed. Nevertheless, there remains a need for a snow shoveling device that further reduces the amount of physical exertion required in manual shoveling and which maximizes the use of mechanical force and leverage to lift and dump loads of snow.